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Across-the-Board Rescissions in Appropriations Acts: Overview and Recent Practices

Description: This report provides information on the main components of across-the-board rescissions and recent practices since FY2008. The annual appropriations process reqires an agreement on the level of funding for individual items or accounts but also with regard to the total amount of discretionary budget authority that will be provided for that fiscal year. If that agreed-upon amount requires a reduction in budget authority and sufficient reductions are not associated with individual programs, an al… more
Date: September 2, 2015
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility Determination and the Potential ACA Employer Penalty

Description: This report describes the potential employer penalties related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L. 111-148, as amended) as well as regulations to implement the ACA employer provisions. The regulations address insurance coverage requirements, methodologies for determining whether a worker is considered full time, provisions relating to seasonal workers and corporate franchises, and other reporting requirements.
Date: September 1, 2015
Creator: Whittaker, Julie M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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An Analysis of Efforts to Double Federal Funding for Physical Sciences and Engineering Research

Description: This report provides information and analysis on the origins of the doubling effort; selected acts of Congress, other events, and reports; authorizations and appropriations; the effects of the doubling effort on the funding level and character of federal research funding for the physical sciences and engineering disciplines; and related policy issues.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Arms Control Ratification: Opportunities for Modifying Agreements

Description: This report briefly examines arms control ratification and opportunities for modifying agreements. On July 14, 2015, Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany (the P5+1) finalized a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)--an agreement that restricts Iran's nuclear program in an effort to ensure that it can only be used for peaceful purposes.
Date: September 2, 2015
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, and refers readers to more in-depth CRS reports on specific Arctic-related issues. Issues such as Arctic sovereignty claims; commercial shipping through the Arctic; Arctic oil, gas, and mineral exploration; endangered Arctic species; and increased military operations in the Arctic could cause the region in coming years to become an arena of international cooperation or competition.
Date: September 4, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report focuses on the potential implications of China's naval modernization for future required U.S. Navy capabilities. Other CRS reports address separate issues relating to China. This report is based on unclassified open-source information.
Date: September 21, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Air Issues in the 114th Congress: An Overview

Description: This report discusses EPA regulations to reduce GHG emission from fossil-fueled power plants, which EPA refers to as electric generating units (EGUs). It also points out Emissions of other pollutants from power plants.
Date: September 22, 2015
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the sustainment and modernization of the Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet. Coast Guard polar icebreakers perform a variety of missions supporting U.S. interests in polar regions. The operational U.S. polar icebreaking fleet currently consists of one heavy polar icebreaker, Polar Star, and one medium polar icebreaker, Healy.
Date: September 2, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This report is a list of about 200 congressional liaison offices, intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: September 10, 2015
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Constitutional Implications of State GE Food Labeling Laws

Description: This report analyzes three constitutional provisions relevant to state GE food labeling laws, the First Amendment, the Supremacy Clause, and the Commerce Clause, by explaining the wider legal background of GE labeling as well the court's analysis of these constitutional issues in GMA v. Sorrell.
Date: September 28, 2015
Creator: Lanza, Emily M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Current Debates over Exchange Rates: Overview and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides information on current debates over exchange rates in the global economy. It offers an overview of how exchange rates work; analyzes specific disagreements and debates; and examines existing frameworks for potentially addressing currency disputes. It also lays out some policy options available to Congress, should Members want to take action on exchange rate issues.
Date: September 17, 2015
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity: Data, Statistics, and Glossaries

Description: This report describes data and statistics from government, industry, and information technology (IT) security firms regarding the current state of cybersecurity threats in the United States and internationally. These include incident estimates, costs, and annual reports on data security breaches, identity thefts, cybercrimes, malwares, and network securities.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Tehan, Rita
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents

Description: This report provides a list of executive orders and presidential directives pertaining to information and computer security. Cybersecurity vulnerabilities challenge governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide. Attacks have various targets, depending upon whether the attacker was seeking military intelligence, conducting diplomatic or industrial espionage, engaging in cybercrime, or intimidating political activists; additionally attributing an attack to a specific location can be difficul… more
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Tehan, Rita
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Debt Limit Since 2011

Description: This report discusses the federal debt increase. The accumulation of federal debt accelerated in the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession.
Date: September 11, 2015
Creator: Austin, D. A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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DHS Appropriations FY2016: Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

Description: This report is part of a suite of reports that discuss appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2016. It specifically discusses appropriations for the components of DHS included in the third title of the homeland security appropriations bill--the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), the Office of Health Affairs (OHA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Collectively, Congress has labeled these components in the appropriations act in rece… more
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Painter, William L.; Moteff, John D.; Lister, Sarah A.; Lindsay, Bruce R.; McCarthy, Francis X. & Kruger, Lennard G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Drought Legislation: Comparison of Selected Provisions in H.R. 2898 and S. 1894

Description: This report summarizes the provisions of S. 1894, as introduced, and H.R. 2898, as passed by the House for conservation of fish species and their habitats in drought-stricken areas. It identifies comparable provisions between the two bills and discusses some of the ways in which those provisions overlap or differ. It also summarizes selected other major provisions in each bill.
Date: September 4, 2015
Creator: Stern, Charles V.; Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Cody, Betsy A.; Carter, Nicole T. & Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Emerging Markets: Is Slower Growth Temporary?

Description: This report discusses the growing vulnerabilities Emerging market (EM) countries are facing due to declining global trade, depreciating currencies, sharply lower commodity prices, volatile equity markets, and deeper economic reforms.
Date: September 29, 2015
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The EMV Chip Card Transition: Background, Status, and Issues for Congress

Description: This report describes the financial harm caused by data breaches and the impact of EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) chip cards on fraud. It provides information about the effect of the transition in selected foreign countries and discusses resolved and remaining impediments to completing the EMV transition in the United States. It also identifies areas of potential congressional interest.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Moloney Figliola, Patricia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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